On family holidays to Coolangatta as a teenager, Cait Miers would borrow her mum’s camera to take surf photos. The hobby soon evolved into a career, which has seen Kate emerge as one of the pre-eminent photographers in the surfing world.

Cait’s industry cred goes a long way and when Steph Gilmore won her historical, eighth World Title she called in Cait for the official shoot. The upshot was a Tracks cover of Steph wearing a wild grin behind a whip of blonde. The photo reveals Steph as someone who can be ambitious without losing her sense of fun.

Cait suggests that the playful aesthetic, which often defines her work, owes much to what she dreamt up as a little kid. Meanwhile, her versatility means she is comfortable swimming with a housing in heavy water, crafting a fashion shoot or capturing a revealing lifestyle moment.

“The passion for me is women’s surfing,” explains Kate, “But when I shoot for the WSL, I love shooting the guys.”

Artisans is presented by Reiziger.

Check out other videos in the Artisans series:

Episode #1 – Ben Brown

Episode #2 – Matt Chojnaki

Episode #3 – Nathan Oldfield